Obesogenic environment evidence review

The Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 requires Welsh Government to publish a national strategy on preventing and reducing obesity. It has been proposed that the ANGELO Framework (Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity) should be used to scope the national strategy.

This framework is rooted in an ecological model recognising environmental, biological and behavioural factors but focuses on how the environment influences obesity. The framework facilitates understanding of how environments may be obesogenic and is also a practical tool for prioritising interventions.

The basic framework considers environmental size (macro or micro) by type: physical (what is available); economic (what are the costs); political/legislative (what are the rules) and sociocultural (what are the attitudes and beliefs).

Within this framework those things which influence food intake and physical activity can be characterised as either obesogenic, contributing to weight gain, or conversely as leptogenic, contributing to weight loss.

A literature review on policy interventions to tackle the obesogenic environment using this framework, with specific regard to the adult population in Scotland, was published in 2011. This review provided an overview of the literature on obesity prevention in adults across the ANGELO. The initial approach this review adopted was to look for research evidence on effective policy interventions or modifications to the built environment that promoted physical activity, reduced consumption of unhealthy diets or promoted consumption of healthier diets. The method
was subsequently extended to include a much broader range of source types. To support the development of the Wales national strategy an evidence review broadly based on and updating this 2011 review was undertaken.

This research evidence review, an overview of evidence addressing the obesogenic environment, has been produced by the Public Health Wales (PHW) Observatory Evidence Service for the PHW Health Improvement Directorate. It forms part of the work being undertaken to support Welsh Government on an Obesity Prevention and Reduction Strategy.